I feel like I'm loosing my mind. I am hungry for food with flavor. Every day my diet consists of the following:alternating days
1 shredded wheat
3/4 cup skim milk
apple
3/4 oz walnuts
3.5 oz chicken breast or white fish
2 cups salad
3/4 cup brown rice
3/4 oz walnuts
3.5 oz chicken breast or white fish
2 cups veggies
alternate days with
3 egg whites
1 cup veggies
1 orange
1 cup blueberries
3.5 oz chicken breast or white fish
3/4 cup ww pasta
2 cups salad
1 cup strawberries
3/5 oz chicken breast or white fish
2 cups veggies.
I can't add anything like bbq sauce or anything with sugar, honey anything sweet. I can have a very small amount of oil to cook with and only a couple of dressings. The dressings have to have less than 5 g fat and less than 1 g of carbohydrates. Not many out there unfortunately. So I"m soooo tired of eating this every day. Tonight I ate my chicken breast with mustard, just plain mustard b/c it's limitless how much I can eat. It had flavor so I can't complain. I've eaten chicken prepared every other way, I've used every spice that you can put with chicken and even so that don't, just to get some flavor. Fortunately this all changes on Monday or Tuesday. This was phase 1, the detox phase but it's not south beach or at least not being called that. I want SUGAR so bad I could cry. Maybe this is part of getting over the addiction process. That's why I am here and not over at the bakery. I hope this will pass. I'm having a coffee with reg sugar and I hope it calms my craving. At this point, it doesn't have to be sugar, just flavor and variety in what I can eat. LORD please help me.
Hang in there! Your body is probably adjusting to the different healthier foods you are eating. It sounds like you are getting enough protein, veggies and fruit, but the fats are low if you're only having the nuts and a very small amount of oil. Is this 'diet' one you think you can live with for the rest of your life? I've done very restrictive diets in the past and always gained the weight back when I couldn't stand the tasteless foods. Healthy food doesn't have to be bland! Maybe you could experiment with some herbs and/or spices on your chicken & fish.
I find that nonfat cottage cheese (1/2 cup) topped with a container of Dole tropical fruit bowl (drained) is a very satisfying and tasty snack or small meal that is quick to prepare (approx. 150 calories).
I've had good success losing weight by counting calories. I've always eaten fairly healthy foods, but the quantities were just too large. By keeping a food log, I can pretty much have everything I like and that's what's kept me motivated. I've also set my calorie limit higher (1650 per day) as I would rather lose slowly and be able to stick to my new way of eating.
I hope you get over your cravings soon. I'm sure you'll get lots of good ideas here from the folks at 3FC for healthy and delicious foods!
A great topping for chicken/fish - a gremolata, which consists of minced parsley, garlic, and lemon peel. Just put some on top. Try topping your chicken or fish with salsa.
Cook your rice in chicken stock. Also, have you experimented with/are you allowed to eat other grains? Quinoa cooks just like rice but has a nutty, unique flavor, especially if you toss in some spices (a dash of garlic powder, a bit of pepper, and a tiny bit of cayenne).
I could give you more guidance on your meals if you posted exactly what your plan is...hard to make suggestions if I don't know what you can eat.
I was once advised to drink this concoction to get over a sugar desire:
20 ounces water
2 ounces of 100% cranberry juice (the kind with NOTHING added, no sugar, no other juices, just the cranberry--make sure of the label ingredients) Knudsen makes it, I don't know any other brands
1 packet of Stevia (available at Trader Joes or health food stores) Stevia is a natural herb that is super sweet, but has no calories. Do not put more than one packet (or one serving) in the water because you can get a little aftertaste if you do.
Drink this 1 to 3 times per day, and your craving for sweetness should be solved. I think the calories will be like 5 or 10 per serving.
Herbs, spices, and peppers could be your saving grace: maybe it's time to spice up your meals.
walnuts: roast with a little bit of cinnamon/nutmeg or cayenne pepper
cottage cheese: add chives
salad: add some crushed red pepper
chicken/fish: garlic and onion (fresh, salt or powder), parsely, mustard powder- actually just about anything in the spice pantry, from curry to chinese 5 spice
veggies: garlic, parmesan cheese, onion.. actually again almost anything will work
uhh, the same goes with pasta
The trick is just to give it a go: for example, make a couple of servings of pasta, seperate them into small portions and then season each with different combinations of spices and herbs for a bit of a culinary taste test. Any of the combinations you enjoy will most likely work just as well on meat and veggies.
How about some vegetarian meals? Tofu and veggie stir-fries, for example - you can get tons of flavor from all the different veggies and all sorts of herbs and spices go really well with stir-fries. Vegetable soups are nice, too, and you can make them really filling if you put in pureed squash or potato. And couscous is reall nice with sauteed spinach, corn, and bell peppers mixed in. I'm with Mandalinn, though, in that it's tough to give suggestions without knowing what your plan is. Maybe post what you're allowed so we can give you more suggestions?
Get everything all in one pan. Open a box (it tastes better) of organic chicken broth, empty it into a baking pan. Put in chicken, uncooked rice, and a veggie meddly (peas, carrots and corn) @ 350. Flip the chicken every once in a while so it doesn't get crusty. When you're done, put the chicken on a plate and strain the rice/veggies and leave them mixed together. Mix some shredded spinach with parmesan cheese (or any other HARD cheese), and put it over the chicken breasts. Return to the oven just long enough to soften cheese, then turn off the oven and let it coast for a few minutes.
5 oz veggies
.5 cup cooked brown long grain rice
3 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
.25 cup spinach
1 can chicken brother
Thank you to all of you who replied. It's tough sometimes, but I know it's for the best. This is only phase one. After monday, I will be into phase 2 and I'll be eating a little different just not sure how different. I have to limit salt to 1/4 tsp per day. I can use 1/2 cup chicken stock (salt free or reduced) per week. I can't have any starchy veggies like corn, peas, or carrots. I am only allowed brown rice and ww pasta for now but that changes again next week. I just need to get thru this weekend and I'll be ok I think. Once I'm at my goal weight I can introduce small portions of cheat foods once per week. I miss bbq sauce and sour cream (fat free), cheese is a luxury now, I can have 1 oz per week on a salad. I have tried tofu many times, I have a friend who is always trying to get me to eat it but I can't, I just don't like it. I really don't like soy as well. I never thought I was a fussy eater until I started eating this way. I like sauces and I'm pretty creative to eat them low fat but they won't be back until I reach my goal wt. The reason I got this big wasn't from eating regular food, it's from eating ice-cream with hot fudge and baked goods like that. One baked good is ok, however I could easily make chocolate chip cookies and eat each and every one as soon as they cooled from the oven. I had my head in the sand when I thought it wouldn't catch up with me. So here I am b/c I didn't think about what I was doing to myself.
Oh I forgot that dairy is skim milk only with my shredded wheat every other day. That's it I think!!!!
thanks again, you've helped to get me past a hard night.
Robin
I recently tried the new Grill Mates BBQ seasoning. Great BBQ flavor! As for dressings, you could look for Walden Farms dressings. I've tried them in the past. All they really have is sodium...no cals, no sugar, no carbs. Only a few of them taste decent though. Their Italians and honey dijon were good. Try adding some cinamon on fruits and cereals. Try some liquid smoke flavor on your meats and Mrs. Dash on your meats and veggies.
Tabasco, salsa and vietnamese (sp?) hot sauce are my saviors. I eat them on meats, fish, eggs, veggies, just about everything but fruit. I really like spices and herbs too. Rosemary or tarragon on chicken, lemon and pepper on fish, chives and parsley in your rice. Just some ideas
help, going crazy!!!!!
Robin
